Mitigation: Mechanics, Monitoring, Modeling, and Assessment - Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Debris-Flow Hazards Mitigation. All rights reserved. Debris-slides are a frequent hazard in fragile decomposed metasedimentary rocks in the Anakeesta rock formation in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The spatial distribution of an existing debris-slide area could be used to prepare susceptibility map for future debris-slide initiation zones. This work aims to create a debris-slide susceptibility map by using a knowledge-driven method in a GIS platform in Anakeesta formation of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Six geofactors, namely, elevation, annual rainfall, slope curvature, landcover, soil texture and various slope failure modes were used to create the susceptibility map. Debris-slide locations were mapped from the satellite imagery, previous studies, and field visits. A Weighted Overlay Analysis was performed in order to generate the final susceptibility map, where individual classes of geofactors were ranked and were assigned weights based on their influence on debris-slide. The final susceptibility map was classified into five categories: very low, low, moderate, high and very high susceptible zones. Validation of the result shows very high category predicted ~10%, high and moderate categories predicted 75.5% and ~14.5% of the existing debris-slide pixels respectively. This study successfully depicts the advantage and usefulness of the knowledge-driven method, which can save considerable amount of time and reduce complicated data analysis unlike statistical or physical based methods. However, the accuracy of the model highly depends on the researcher’s experience of the area and selection of respective geofactors.

Debris-slides are one of the most frequently occurring geological hazards in metasedimentary rocks of the Anakeesta ridge in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM), which often depends on the influence of multiple causing factors or geo-factors such as geological structures, slope, topographic elevation, land use, soil type etc. or a combination of these factors. The main objective of the study was to understand the control of geo-factors in initiating debris-slides using different knowledge and data-driven methods in GIS platform. The study was performed in three steps: (1) Evaluation of geometrical relationship between geological discontinuity and topographic orientation in initiation of debris-slides, (2) Preparation of knowledge-driven debris-slide susceptibility model, and (3) Preparation of data-driven debris-slide susceptibility models and compare their efficacy. Performance of the models were evaluated mostly using area under Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, which revealed that the models were statistically significant.

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) provides quality education programs to local schools. In order to continue this success and expand programs to reach more middle and high school students, a mixed methods study was conducted to help better understand why local middle and high school teachers participate or not in park educational programs. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, teacher surveys measured factors that influence teacher intentions to participate in park programs to best predict their likelihood of future involvement. In addition, school administrators were interviewed to understand their perceptions of teacher involvement. Results provided insight to how GRSM can better provide valuable services to local middle and high schools. The best predictors of teachers' intentions to participate in future programs were their perceptions of whether programs would enhance academic achievement, how easily and comfortably they could incorporate the programs into their pre-existing curricula, and whether the experience would be a fun experience in nature for both their students and themselves. Future communications with teachers should therefore emphasize that Park programs are fun, relevant learning experiences that address academic requirements for various subjects and are relatively easy to incorporate into pre-existing curricula. / Master of Science

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Melanie F. Klein / The trend of urbanization is escalating on a global scale, in many cases sprawling outward at the expense of decaying urban centers, post industrial infrastructure, and other neglected landscapes. There is a critical need for intelligent, responsive, and resilient urban planning and design. The Smoky Hill River’s neglected cutoff channel running through the heart of Salina, Kansas, is exemplary of these phenomena. Although the historic channel operates as an important landscape infrastructural system for stormwater conveyance, it remains largely inactive in terms of its connections to adjacent neighborhoods, cultural significance, and economic driving potential. Landscape Urbanism, a relatively new realignment in urbanism theory, involves the concept of engaging dynamic urban processes and facilitating or enhancing relationships through design, providing potential remediation to many urban dilemmas. While still speculative and experimental, its application in metropolitan environments has garnered acknowledgment in the design community. Landscape Urbanism’s relevance toward micropolitan and small metropolitan cities, however, remains largely unexplored. The relationship between the revitalization of the historic Smoky Hill cutoff and Salina, facilitated by local advocates the Friends of the River, explores the application of Landscape Urbanism theory in smaller urban environs. Through the analysis of precedents exhibiting Landscape Urbanism strategies, the careful inventory of characteristics unique to specific sites along the historic channel, and synthesizing the Friends of the River goals and objectives, applicable strategies that influence design methodology by engaging key urban systems are found and applied. The design of these sites act to “catalyze” adjacent areas through connectivity and enhancing the cultural, environmental, and economic health of the district. Design implementation at a strategic site catalyzes immediately adjacent districts, followed by the catalysis of the entire channel. In its final state, the historic channel becomes re-integrated into the City of Salina as a vital system, engaging and enhancing the urban field as a whole.

The high-elevation forests of the Southern Appalachian Mountains have been impacted and rearranged by a tiny introduced pest from Europe, known as the Balsam Woolly Adelgid (Adelges piceaea), creating a concern for conservation. Breeding bird censuses, along with botanical surveys, have been conducted periodically on an established 60-acre plot since 1967 on the virgin forested slopes of Mount Guyot, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with the last census being completed in 2015. Breeding bird populations are shown to rise and fall in response to the forest’s changes over the last 48 years. Comparisons are made between all studies in order to assess how bird populations are being affected by the changed forest dynamics.

[Compilation CD featuring 1950s-era field recordings] Recently recovered recordings of Haywood County, N.C., musicians made nearly 60 years ago – which an Appalachian music expert describes as “the missing link between old-time string music and bluegrass” – are once again seeing the light of day and finding a new audience thanks to Great Smoky Mountains Association. Four years after the release of their Grammy-nominated “Old-Time Smoky Mountain Music,” GSMA producers follow up now with “Carroll Best and the White Oak String Band: Old-time Bluegrass from the Great Smoky Mountains, 1956 and 1959.” The new collection features more than 30 tracks, including such old-time favorites as “Tennessee Wagoner,” “Arkansas Traveler,” “Old Joe Clark,” “Soldier’s Joy,” as well as such modern tunes as “Banjo Boogie” and “Smoky Mountain Melody.” / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1169/thumbnail.jpg

Impacts of long-term acid deposition on soil and water chemistry are of particular concern in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM), receiving some of the highest acid deposition rates in the eastern United States and limited by inadequate acid buffering capacity. In the GRSM, the Noland Divide watershed (NDW) has been monitored since 1991 for water chemistries of precipitation, throughfall, soil, and stream. The impacts of long-term acidic deposition on stream water quality in the NDW were investigated through: 1) development of an ion input-output budget; 2) analysis of trends and seasonal patterns for major ions; 3) comparison of net export rates between baseflow and stormflow periods; and 4) characterization of soil chemistry and transport properties for various potential acid deposition scenarios. Between 1991 and 2006, throughfall deposition remained unchanged and consisted of 1,735 eq ha-1 yr-1 of SO42-, 863 eq ha-1 yr-1 of NO3-, and 284 eq ha-1 yr-1 of NH4+. Net retention of sulfate was estimated at 61% being controlled by soil adsorption, and inorganic nitrogen was retained at 32% presumably due to plant uptake. Nitrogen retention increased by 44.30 eq ha-1 yr-1 over the study period. Besides deposition, soil acidity was increased by nitrification and precipitation-driven desorption of previously accumulated sulfate. To neutralize soil acidity, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ were depleted from NDW by 77, 46 and 66 eq ha-1 yr-1, respectively. Due to the continuous addition of acidity, base saturation in soil was reduced to 4% at present. Mobilization of aluminum and other metals (Mn and Zn) may be enhanced by these geochemical processes, potentially causing toxic conditions to fish and other biota in the GRSM streams. Impacts of acidic deposition on streams were confirmed by measured stream pH below 6 and acid neutralizing capacity below 0.01 meq L-1. During stormflows pH and ANC depressions occurred primarily due to increases in sulfate transport, leading to episodic acidification events. This study provides new information on hydrological and biogeochemical processes that regulate stream acidification events in the southern Appalachian region, supporting improved management strategies for GRSM streams.

This study characterizes the mass transport of ions in two streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, comparing transport between stormflow and baseflow periods. By comparing ion mass transport between these two hydrological conditions, the importance of soil and the governing biogeochemical processes will be underscored. Two water quality monitoring study sites were located on the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River and Ramsey Prong within the same basin. These remote sites were equipped with YSI 6920 multi-parameter sonde to record continuous 15-min data of pH, depth, conductivity, turbidity, and temperature. Additionally, ISCO 6712 composite samplers were used to collect stream samples during storm events. Baseflow was collected by grab samples prior to storm events, and stormflow collected by ISCO samplers. Throughfall samples were collected after storm events. All samples were analyzed for pH, ANC, and conductivity using an autotitrator. Inductively coupled plasma spectrometry and ion chromatography were used to determine major cations, trace metals, and anions (Ca2+, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Aln+, Cu, Fe, Mn, Si, Zn, SO42-, NO3-, Cl-, NH4+). Stage-discharge relationships were developed at each site utilizing a combination of field measurements and modeling. Velocity and area field measurements were taken to calculate discharges for mid- to low-flow stages while mid- to upper-flow stages were modeled using RIVER2D and verified with field measurements. Stage-discharge curves and sample ion concentrations were used to compute ion mass transport for a two year period in 2006 through 2008. Differences in mass transport of ions between baseflow and stormflow periods found that greater mass transport of ions, except protons, occurred during baseflow periods. These results indicate that on an annual basis ions are stored from input throughfall sources and released gradually through groundwater flow over time more than rapid interflow transport during storm events. This information illustrates the importance of soils and groundwater storage in the regulation of ion transport and streamwater quality in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC, 2002. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-123).